Universal keyboard

ABSTRACT

A keyboard for physically handicapped persons, including a translucent surface, a capacitive layer underneath the translucent surface, enabling detection of touch location and pressure on the translucent surface, a projection system dynamically projecting a plurality of visual layouts of keys of a keyboard on the translucent surface, wherein each visual layout includes ASCII character keys or graphical buttons, and a dynamic keyboard layout generator configured to receive user input in conformance with a currently projected layout of keys from a physically handicapped user, and to generate therefrom a time series of ASCII characters or button selections for input to the computing device, to dynamically adjust pressure sensitivity of the keyboard to avoid spurious user input, and to dynamically adjust key sizes and positions in a current virtual layout of keys, to reduce the amount of hand motion required by the user and the amount of discomfort experienced by the user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/860,890 entitled UNIVERSAL KEYBOARD, and filed on Jan. 3,2018 by inventors Jordan A. Berger and John V. Monaco. U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/860,890 is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/809,290 entitled UNIVERSAL KEYBOARD, and filedon Jul. 27, 2015 by inventors Jordan A. Berger and John V. Monaco.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic keyboards.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The keyboard is one of the most universal peripheral components fordesktop and laptop computers, and yet it relies on the QWERTY systemthat dates back to the 1870's. It is arguably the most ancient part ofthe desktop and laptop computers in use today. The use of keyboards isubiquitous with word processing, web browsing, multimedia streaming andgaming.

Many applications remap keys or key sequences to application-specificcommands. For example, “Ctrl+n” creates a new document or opens a newwindow, depending on the context. The keyboard layout can be entirelyremapped through software. The standard QWERTY layout is oftenassociated with a US English key map, but many others exist. Forexample, some users switch to a DVORAK layout due to comfort, or use alanguage other than English on a QWERTY keyboard. Many applicationsallow the user to create time saving “macros”, but most users do nottake advantage of them due to the high barrier of learning how toprogram the macros. Users often purchase more than one keyboard orcontroller, each one made for a specific purpose. For word processing,some users like to use a keyboard with a relatively light touch, butwhen gaming they prefer a mechanical keyboard with a heavier pressure.Many gaming applications only utilize about 8 keys, and the unused keysbecome obsolete during gameplay. Many users in the graphics and imagingfields execute thousands of mouse clicks per day to perform tasks thatcould be highly simplified with a more intelligent human-computerinterface.

The current field of keystroke dynamics, as described in

-   -   M. Karnan, M. Akila, N. Krishnaraj, Biometric personal        authentication using keystroke dynamics: A review, Applied Soft        Computing, Vol. 11, Issue 2, March 2011, pages 1565-1573, ISSN        1568-4946,    -   http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2010.08.003,    -   http://www.sciencedirect.com/scient/article/pii/S1568494610000205X,        and    -   Pin Shen Teh, Andrew Beng Jin Teoh, and Shigang Yue, “A Survey        of Keystroke Dynamics Biometrics,” The Scientific World Journal,        Vol. 2013, Article ID 408280, 24 pages, 2013.        doi:10.1155/2013/408280,        utilizes behavioral biometric data from users, as described in    -   Fabian Monrose, Aviel D. Rubin, Keystroke dynamics as a        biometric for authentication, Future Generation Computer        Systems, Vol. 16, Issue 4, February 2000, pages 351-359, ISSN        0167-739X,    -   http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0167-739X(99)00059-X,    -   http://www.sciencedirect.com/scient/article/pii/S0167739X9900059X,        in order to perform a variety of important functions, such as        on-line user authentication, as described in    -   Bergadano, Francesco, Gunetti, Daniele, and Claudia Picardi,        User authentication through keystroke dynamics, ACM Transactions        on Information and System Security (TISSEC), Vol. 5, issue 4,        November 2002, pages 367-397, New York, ACM, ISSN: 1094-9224        EISSN: 1557-7406 doi:10.1145/581271.581272.        Researchers are studying use of keystrokes to detect physical        ailments such as arthritis and Parkinson's disease,        http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150409/srep09678/full/srep09678.html).

Keyboards commercially available today are limited in that they can onlyprovide timing information, while it has been shown that use ofadditional sensors, such as pressure and acceleration, significantlyimproves the performance of a keystroke biometric system. The demand foradditional sensors continues to grow as keystroke dynamics isincorporated into an increasing number of applications.

Prior art virtual keyboards project onto surfaces, and will never likelybe a “preferred” keyboard for any user. Virtual keyboards have afuturistic appearance, and can be used in place of keyboards for shortsessions, but for the “normal” or “heavy” computer user, the virtualkeyboard lacks many features.

Conventional and virtual keyboards can output keystrokes (“all or none”)and timing data, but cannot measure pressure data, and lack the spatialresolution that allows, for example, estimation of finger size, limitingtheir use in advanced behavioral biometrics.

SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a universal keyboard,which is dynamically optimized for all key input to the computer, and isthe first fully-compatible biometric keyboard. The keyboard includes ablank translucent surface, a capacitive array touch screen thattransmits touch to the computer, and a projection system thatdynamically projects the keyboard template or layout that is needed foreach application. There are inter alia four types of projection systems:(1) micro-LED array applied to the under-surface of the keyboard, (2)projection system applied to a bar across the keyboard, (3) projectionsystem that projects onto the surface from underneath the keyboard, and(4) touchscreen system.

The universal keyboard includes inter alia a speaker, a microphone, awebcam, an accelerometer, a USB connection, and an optional wirelessmodule such as a BLUETOOTH® module.

The universal keyboard includes a device driver that initializes thekeyboard, the projection system, the microphone, the webcam and a touchpad, that initializes a BLUETOOTH® pairing, that loads a sound file, andthat dynamically projects a display file onto the keyboard. The driveralso maps touch data to ASCII keystroke or bitmap data, as appropriate,formats the keystroke or bitmap data for output, and outputs the datavia USB or such other data channel. Data output from the keyboard viathe device driver may use a file format and communications protocol thatconform to an existing or future standard.

Embodiments of the universal keyboard enable inter alia dynamic keyboardlayout, custom keyboard layout, user identification, accessibilityadjustments to accommodate physically handicapped persons, biometricauthentication, handprint authentication, cryptographic keys for users,and obfuscation to ensure privacy.

There is thus provided in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention a keyboard for a physically handicapped person, including ablank translucent surface for use as an input device, a capacitive layermounted underneath the translucent surface, enabling detection of touchlocation and pressure on the blank translucent surface, a projectionsystem dynamically projecting a plurality of visual layouts of keys of akeyboard on the blank translucent surface, wherein each visual layoutcomprises ASCII character keys or graphical buttons, and anaccessibility module, coupled with the capacitive layer, with theprojection system, and with a computing device, configured (i) toreceive user input in conformance with a currently projected layout ofkeys from a physically handicapped user, and to generate therefrom atime series of ASCII characters or button selections for input to thecomputing device, and (ii) to dynamically adapt to the user's style oftyping, including dynamically adjusting pressure sensitivity of thekeyboard to avoid spurious user input, and dynamically adjusting keysizes and positions in a current virtual layout of keys, to reduce theamount of hand motion required by the user and the amount of discomfortexperienced by the user.

There is additionally provided in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention a secure keyboard, including a blank translucentsurface for use as an input device, a capacitive layer mountedunderneath the blank translucent surface, enabling detection of touchlocation and pressure on the blank translucent surface, a projectionsystem projecting a visual layout of keys of a keyboard on the blanktranslucent surface, the visual layout including ASCII character keysand/or graphical buttons, a handprint generator coupled with thecapacitive layer that, upon a user placing his hand on the blanktranslucent surface, generates a user template describing the user'shand, the user template including a list of keyboard surface coordinatesand corresponding pressures, and stores the user template, and ahandprint analyzer, coupled with the capacitive layer, with thehandprint generator, and with a computing device, that authenticates anunknown user who asserts an identity by matching the unknown user'stemplate, currently generated by the handprint generator, to the storeduser template for the identity asserted by the unknown user, wherein ifno match is found, indicates that the unknown user is not authorized touse the keyboard or not previously enrolled for the keyboard, and if amatch is found, receives user input from the unknown user in conformancewith the projected layout of keys, and generates therefrom a time seriesof ASCII characters or button selections for input to the computingdevice.

There is additionally provided in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention a keyboard, including a blank translucent surface foruse as an input device, a capacitive layer mounted underneath the blanktranslucent surface, enabling detection of touch location and pressureon the blank translucent surface, a projection system projecting avisual layout of keys of a keyboard on the blank translucent surface,the visual layout including ASCII character keys and/or graphicalbuttons, a handprint generator coupled with the capacitive layer that,upon a user placing his hand on the blank translucent surface, generatesa user template describing the user's hand, the user template includinga list of keyboard surface coordinates and corresponding pressures, andstores the user template, and a handprint analyzer, coupled with thecapacitive layer and with the handprint generator, that identifies anunknown user by comparing the unknown user's template, currentlygenerated by the handprint generator, to a plurality of stored usertemplates, wherein if a match is not found then the unknown user is notidentified.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard for use in cooperation witha keystroke biometric analyzer, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard with interactive generationof layouts of keys, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified top view of a keyboard, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a simplified side view of the keyboard of FIG. 3 showing fourlayers, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a simplified illustration of a layout of keys for wordprocessing, for use with the keyboard of FIG. 3, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a simplified illustration of a layout of keys for an alternatelanguage, for use with the keyboard of FIG. 3, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a simplified illustration of a layout of keys for aninteractive MINECRAFT® game, for use with the keyboard of FIG. 3, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a simplified flowchart of a method for using a keyboard togenerate data for a keystroke biometric analyzer, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a simplified flowchart of a method for interactivelygenerating layouts of keys for a keyboard, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard device driver, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a simplified diagram of a mouse device driver, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard using a micro-LED arrayprojection system, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard using a projection systemapplied to a bar across the keyboard, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 14 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard using a projection systemthat projects onto the surface from underneath the keyboard, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is a simplified diagram of a keyboard using a touchscreen, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 16 is a simplified diagram of the biometric analyzer of FIG. 1, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17, is an illustration of a keyboard wherein horizontal spacingsbetween keys mapped to the left hand are reduced, for users with limitedmetacarpophalangeal (digits/palm joint) or intercarpal (palm/wristjoint) articulation in the left hand, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an illustration of a keyboard with keys that are selectivelyenabled and disabled to reduce typing errors and increase typing speedand comfort, for users that experience tremors in the hand such as usersuffering from Parkinson's disease, and for users with limited motoraccuracy such as users recovering from a stroke, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 19 is a simplified flowchart of biometric analysis andauthentication, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

For reference to the figures, the following index of elements and theirnumerals is provided. Similarly numbered elements represent elements ofthe same type, but they need not be identical elements.

Table of elements in the FIGS. Element Description  100 keyboard  110blank translucent surface  120 capacitive surface  140 projection system 150 controller  160 speaker  165 microphone  170 webcann  175accelerometer  180 USB connector  185 wireless module  190 biometricgenerator  200 keyboard  210 blank translucent surface  220 capacitivesurface  240 projection system  250 controller  260 speaker  265microphone  270 webcann  275 accelerometer  280 USB connector  285wireless module  290 dynamic keyboard layout generator  300 keyboard 310 finished acrylic material  320 alloy bond metal cover  330microprocessor  340 lithium ion battery  350 micro-USB charging port 360 LED  410 silicone layer  420 touch sensor layer  430 acrylic layer 440 LED layer  450 acrylic blocks  500 layout of keys  510 characterkeys  520 space bar  530 cancel key  540 special character key  550 copykey  560 paste key  570 touch pad  580 sensitivity scroll bar  600layout of keys  610 character keys  620 space bar  630 special keys  640keys for language selection  650 key for adding a language  680sensitivity scroll bar  700 layout of keys  710 directional keys  720special key  730 special key  740 special key  750 special key  800method  810 flowchart operation  820 flowchart operation  830 flowchartoperation  900 method  910 flowchart operation  920 flowchart operation 930 flowchart operation 1000 keyboard driver 1100 mouse driver 1200keyboard embodiment using micro-LED array projection 1210 silicone layer1220 capacitive layer 1230 acrylic layer 1240 micro LED layer 1300keyboard embodiment using projection bar 1310 acrylic keyboard 1340projection bar 1400 keyboard embodiment using projection underneathkeyboard 1410 acrylic layer 1420 support layer 1440 projection device1500 keyboard embodiment using touchscreen 1510 touchscreen 1600biometric analyzer 1610 biometric identifier 1620 biometricauthenticator 1630 biometric behavioral analyzer 1640 biometric learningmachine 1700 keyboard to accommodate users with limitedmetacarpophalangeal (digits/palm joint) or intercarpal (palm/wristjoint) articulation in the left hand 1800 keyboard to accommodate usersthat experience tremors in the hand such as user suffering fromParkinson's disease, and for users with limited motor accuracy such asusers recovering from a stroke 1900 method 1910 flowchart operation 1920flowchart operation 1930 flowchart operation 1940 flowchart operation1950 flowchart operation 1960 flowchart operation 1970 flowchartoperation 1980 flowchart operation 1990 flowchart operation 2000obfuscator module 2100 handprint generator 2150 handprint analyzer 2200accessibility module 2300 cryptographic module

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a universal keyboard,referred to herein as the “ONE-KEYBOARD”, which is a universal solutionto all key input to the computer, and is the first fully-compatiblebiometric keyboard.

The keyboard consists of a blank translucent surface, a capacitive arraytouch screen that transmits touch to the computer, and a projectionsystem that projects the keyboard template or layout that is needed foreach application. As described below, there are inter alia four types ofprojection systems: (1) micro-LED array applied to the under-surface ofthe keyboard, (2) projection system applied to a bar across thekeyboard, (3) projection system that projects onto the surface fromunderneath the keyboard, and (4) touchscreen system.

The ONE KEYBOARD comes in a variety of sizes and in a software-onlyversion. A user has a choice of silicone pads that adhere to the surfaceof the ONE KEYBOARD, in order to find the preferred “touch”. The ONEKEYBOARD is supported on two legs that are adjustable to the user'spreferred angle. A small speaker in the keyboard allows the user tochoose from a variety of pre-recorded sounds to simulate the “click” ofa key and provide minimal haptic feedback. The user can choose a binarysound, which makes a sound at a single decibel level, or variable soundsthat are louder or softer depending on the pressure applied to the key.The ONE KEYBOARD comes in wired or wireless (e.g., BLUETOOTH®) models.Both models display the internal circuitry through the acrylic, foraesthetic purposes. The touch sensors may be set to whatever thresholdthe user prefers, and the threshold may vary based on the applicationbeing used. There are optional accessories, including inter alia amouse, microphone, webcam and speaker.

Reference is made to FIG. 1, which is a simplified diagram of a keyboard100 for use in cooperation with a keystroke biometric analyzer, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.1, keyboard 100 includes a blank translucent surface 110 for use as aninput device. Translucent surface 110 may be inter alia a siliconesurface. A capacitive layer 120 is mounted underneath translucentsurface 110, for enabling detection of touch location and touch pressureon translucent surface 110. A projection system 140 projects a visuallayout of keys of a keyboard on translucent surface 110. A controller150 includes circuitry to control operation of the components ofkeyboard 100. Keyboard 100 includes a speaker 160, a microphone 165, awebcam 170, an accelerometer 175, and a USB connector 180. Accelerometer175 measures small movements in the keyboard induced by a user'sactions. Keyboard 100 also includes an optional wireless module 185, forshort-range wireless communication such as BLUETOOTH®.

Keyboard 100 includes a biometric generator 190 operative to receiveuser input in conformance with the projected layout of keys, and togenerate therefrom a time series of touch location and touch pressuredata, for use as data by a keystroke biometric analyzer 1600. Biometricanalyzer 1600 is described below with reference to FIG. 16. Keyboard 100also includes an obfuscation module 2000 for protecting a user'sprivacy. Obfuscation module 2000 is described below with reference toFIG. 19.

Keyboard 100 also includes a handprint generator 2100 and a handprintanalyzer 2150 described below. Keyboard 100 also includes anaccessibility module 2200 for users who have difficulty typing on astandard keyboard. Accessibility module 2200 is described below withreference to FIGS. 17 and 18. Keyboard 100 also includes a cryptographicmodule 2300 that generates a unique cryptographic key for each user,described below.

Reference is made to FIG. 2, which is a simplified diagram of a keyboard200 with interactive generation of layouts of keys, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, keyboard 200includes a blank translucent surface 210 for use as an input device.Translucent surface 210 may be inter alia a silicone surface. Acapacitive layer 220 is mounted underneath translucent surface 210, forenabling detection of touch location on translucent surface 210. Aprojection system 240 dynamically projects a plurality of visual layoutsof keys of a keypad on translucent surface 210, where each visual layoutincludes ASCII character keys or graphical buttons. A controller 250includes circuitry to control operation of the components of keyboard200. Keyboard 200 includes a speaker 260, a microphone 265, a webcam270, an accelerometer 275, and a USB connector 280. Accelerometer 275measures small movements in the keyboard induced by a user's actions.Keyboard 200 also includes an optional wireless module 285, forshort-range wireless communication such as BLUETOOTH®.

Keyboard 200 includes a dynamic keyboard layout generator 290 operativeto dynamically control projection system 240 to project differentlayouts of keys on translucent surface 210 in response to user activityon a computing device, to receive user input in conformance with acurrently projected layout of keys, and to generate therefrom a timeseries of ASCII characters or button selections for input to thecomputing device.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodimentsshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be combined into an embodiment that combinesbiometric generator 190 with dynamic keyboard layout generator 290.

Reference is made to FIG. 3, which is a simplified top view of akeyboard 300, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 3, keyboard 300 is approximately 13″ in length and 5.5″in width, and is formed by an acrylic or other translucent material 310including inter alia glass, plexi-glass and a combination of suchmaterials. The components of keyboard 300 are covered by an alloy bondmetal cover 320 having a width of 0.75″, with upper corners curved in anarc of a circle of 0.5″ radius. Keyboard 300 includes a microprocessor330 for registering and sending key information to a database, an 1100mAh lithium ion battery 340, a micro-USB connector charging port 350,and an LED 360.

Although element 310 is indicated as being an acrylic material, this isnot necessary for practice of the invention, and element 310 mayalternatively be comprised of glass, plexi-glass or such othertranslucent material, or a combination of such materials.

Reference is made to FIG. 4, which is a simplified side view of keyboard300 showing four layers, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 4, keyboard 300 includes an upper layer 410of silicone having a thickness of 0.05″, to provide user feedback.Beneath layer 410 is a layer 420 having a thickness of 0.15″ with atouch sensor. Beneath layer 420 is a layer 430 of acrylic having athickness of 0.5″, to provide sturdiness. Beneath layer 430 is a layer440 having a thickness of 0.05″, with a programmable high resolution LEDscreen. Underneath keyboard 300 are acrylic blocks 450, to angle thekeyboard for ease of use.

Reference is made to FIG. 5, which is a simplified illustration of alayout of keys 500 for word processing, for use with keyboard 300, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Layout 500includes QWERTY character keys 510, a space bar 520, a cancel key 530, aspecial character key 540, and respective copy and paste keys 550 and560. Layout 500 also includes a touch pad 570, and a scroll bar 580 fortouch sensitivity.

Reference is made to FIG. 6, which is a simplified illustration of alayout of keys 600 for an alternate language, for use with keyboard 300,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Layout 600includes character keys 610 for a Korean alphabet, a space bar 620,special keys 630, and keys 640 for language selection. A key 650 isprovided for adding additional languages. Layout 600 also includes ascroll bar 680 for touch sensitivity.

Reference is made to FIG. 7, which is a simplified illustration of alayout of keys 700 for an interactive MINECRAFT® game, manufactured byMojang Synergies AB of Stockholm, Sweden, for use with keyboard 300, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Layout 700includes directional keys 710, and respective keys 720, 730, 740 and 750for “FLY”, “TALK”, “INVENTORY” and “SPRINT”.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the layouts 500,600 and 700 of respective FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, are interactively changedvia projection system 240. In particular, both the appearance and thefunction of the keyboard layout changes dynamically, based on operationsperformed by a user.

It may thus be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the ONEKEYBOARD supports international and emoji keyboard layouts. Users choosefrom a list of standard locales, or customize and create a new locale.Thus a bilingual user creates a keyboard layout with keys from both anEnglish QWERTY layout and a French AZERTY layout, or a layout thatswitches between the two. Embodiments of the present invention include amethod that chooses among standard international keyboard layouts, thatcustomizes a standard layout, or that creates a new layout. The size andarrangement of keys on the keyboard surface may be customized by theuser through a layout customization program that runs on the ONEKEYBOARD.

Reference is made to FIG. 8, which is a simplified flowchart of a method800 for using a keyboard to generate data for a keystroke biometricanalyzer, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Atoperation 810, projection system 140 (FIG. 1) projects a visual layoutof keys onto translucent surface 110. At operation 820, capacitive layer120 dynamically senses touch location and touch pressure on translucentsurface 110 at a sequence of times. At operation 830, biometricgenerator 190 generates a data stream of touch location and touchpressure data for use by a keystroke biometric analyzer.

Reference is made to FIG. 9, which is a simplified diagram of a method900 for interactively generating layouts of keys for a keyboard, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. At operation910, dynamic keyboard layout generator 290 (FIG. 2) dynamically controlsprojection system 240 to project different ones of a plurality of visuallayouts of keys of a keypad on translucent surface 210, in response touser activity on a computing device, where each visual layout comprisesASCII character keys or graphical buttons. At operation 920, capacitivelayer 220 dynamically senses touch locations on the translucent surfaceat a sequence of times. At operation 930, dynamic keyboard generator 290generates a data stream, such as a data stream of ASCII characters orbutton selections, at a sequence of times, for input to the computingdevice, based on the projected layout of keys and the sensed touchlocations, at each time in the sequence.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the methodsshown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may be combined into a method that combinesbiometric data generation with dynamic keyboard layout generation.

Reference is made to FIG. 10, which is a simplified diagram of akeyboard device driver 1000 for the ONE KEYBOARD, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, functions ofthe keyboard driver include inter alia:

-   A. initializing the keyboard;-   B. locking the computer, in response to any attempt to disable the    driver;-   C. initializing a speaker and loading a sound file;-   D. initializing a microphone;-   E. initializing a BLUETOOTH® pairing;-   F. initializing a webcam;-   G. initializing a projection system;-   H. projecting a display file onto the keyboard;-   I. initializing a touch pad;-   J. obtaining a time series of touch data from the touch pad; and-   K. formatting the touch data for output as a continuous data stream    (X, Y, T_(D), T_(R), P, A), where    -   X is the horizontal location,    -   Y is the vertical location,    -   T_(D) is the time (in milliseconds) that the key is depressed,    -   T_(R) is the time (in milliseconds) that the key is released,    -   P is the pressure (in milligrams) placed upon the key, and    -   A is the acceleration vector (in m/s²) for small movements in        the keyboard induced by a user's actions;-   L. map touch data to ASCII keystroke or bitmap data, as appropriate;-   M. format the keystroke or bitmap data for output; and-   N. output via USB.

Data output from the keyboard via a device driver may use a file formatand communications protocol that conform to an existing or futurestandard. The lowest level output from the ONE KEYBOARD is thecontinuous data stream of data (X, Y, T_(D), T_(R), P, A). In addition,the driver estimates the user's finger size, S, using an edge-detectionalgorithm, where S is the estimated two-dimensional area of the user'sfinger as estimated by detecting the diameter, d, of the finger whilethe key is depressed (e.g., S=¼πd²). The raw pixels covered by thefinger are also made available.

When appropriate, touch data is converted (i.e., mapped) onto ASCIIkeystrokes, and, when needed, the data is converted to graphical data.For example, if the user presses the keyboard where the “J” key islocated, the ASCII output for J is sent with the associated pressuremeasurement; if the user creates a signature on a touchpad, thesignature is mapped to a bitmap file, with a corresponding “userpressure matrix”, which is a 3D matrix containing the 2D pressureapplied along a time axis. The physiology and motor control exhibited bya person's hand is relatively unique and may be used as a form ofauthentication or identification.

The surface of the ONE KEYBOARD is capable of sensing shape andpressure. As a form of authentication or identification, a user canplace his hand on the keyboard surface. Embodiments of the presentinvention include handprint generator 2100 (FIG. 1) that, upon a userplacing his hand on the surface of the keyboard, generates a time seriesincluding the times of interaction of the hand with the keyboardsurface, the locations of the interaction at each time of interaction,the amount of pressure applied to the keyboard surface at each locationand time of the interaction, and the acceleration experienced by thekeyboard at each time of interaction. This time series containsinformation from which physiological measurements are extracted,including finger lengths, palm surface area, and curvature of the handarches. Behavioral measurements are also extracted, including a pressureheatmap formed by the hand on the keyboard surface, the first and lastparts of the hand extremity to make contact with the keyboard surface,and vibrations experienced by the keyboard while the hand is held on thekeyboard surface. Together, the time series and these measurements forma template that is provided to the handprint analyzer that runs eitheron the computing device of the ONE KEYBOARD or is remotely accessiblethrough the ONE KEYBOARD driver software.

Handprint analyzer 2150 (FIG. 1) performs both authentication andidentification functions. To authenticate a user, handprint analyzer2150 matches a user's handprint template to a previously-storedtemplate, to determine whether the user belongs to a list of authorizedusers. To identify a user, handprint analyzer 2150 matches a user'shandprint template to a template contained in a database ofpreviously-stored templates, or fails to make a match if none is found.These functions may be performed at the request of an applicationrunning on the host computer, such as at the time of login to a website.The matching of both the authentication and identification functions isperformed by measuring the similarity of two templates, consideringtogether the similarity of the respective time series', thephysiological measurements, and the behavioral measurements.

Keyboard device driver 1000 may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware, or a combination of software, firmware and hardware.

Reference is made to FIG. 11, which is a simplified diagram of a mousedevice driver 1100, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The mouse that accompanies the ONE KEYBOARD is essentially aminiature version of the keyboard, and is incorporated into the sameapplication. Many optical mouse devices have been created with more thanone button or wheel, such as the gaming mice(http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice) manufactured by Razer Pte Ltd ofSingapore, and such as the MAGIC MOUSE®(http://www.apple.com/magicmouse/) manufactured by Apple Inc. ofCupertino, Calif., in order to facilitate the user's interaction withprograms that require the same operations over and over again. This ispopular in the gaming community. As another example, a radiologist usesthe same features of “Zoom”, “Pan”, “Window” and “Level” to interpret 50or 100 medical images a day. At this time, he can either use the samerepetitive mouse clicks, or try to find a mouse with some added buttons;the mouse that accompanies the ONE KEYBOARD creates a custom panel ofbuttons. For anyone who does work that requires repetitive tasks, themouse that accompanies the ONE KEYBOARD is a highly ergonomic solution.The mouse displays user-definable buttons, and collects a small subsetof biometric data.

Mouse device driver 1100 may be implemented in software, firmware,hardware, or a combination of software, firmware and hardware.

The ONE KEYBOARD employs a projection system to dynamically adapt alayout of keys to the user's application. If the user is typing adocument, the projected layout of keys conforms to a standard keyboard,and switches between languages, mathematical symbols and graphics, asneeded. For a user who uses more than one language, the projected layoutof keys includes keys in any language, and further includes a“Translate” button that enables the user to type in one language andhave it translated to another language. There are hundreds of keyboardlayouts being used throughout the world today, any of which may beprojected on the ONE KEYBOARD, and the projected keys may be a singlecolor, or may be color-coded, or may be any other design. When the useris working on a photo-book, for example, with a website such asSHUTTERFLY®, owned by Shutterfly, Inc. of Redwood City, Calif., the ONEKEYBOARD projects a section that shows inter alia a “Page Layout”button, a “Background” button, an “Add-a-Page” button, a “Theme” button,and a “Color” button. When the user adds photos to the book, the ONEKEYBOARD projects a section that shows inter alia an “Add Photos fromComputer” button, an “Add Photos from Shutterfly” button, and an “AddPhotos from Instagram” button. There are icons of photos, text and otherobjects that the user may drag into his book. The user may use gesturesto edit a photo, resize the photo, change the contrast, brightness, hue,saturation, and make other adjustments. When the user switches betweenapplications, such as working on a document, and then opening anInternet browser to look something up for the document, the keyboardswitches between modes optimized for each application, and produces aset of custom buttons such as “Copy”, “Paste” and “Create Hyperlink”, tofacilitate the interaction between applications. The keyboard works in ahighly synchronized fashion with the user, creating the correct keys andicons for each application, and eliminating the need for hundreds ofmouse clicks. If authentication is needed, the collected biometric datais used to verify the identity of the user using an external biometricanalyzer.

As described below, there are inter alia four embodiments of projectionsystems: (1) micro-LED array applied to the under-surface of thekeyboard, (2) projection system applied to a bar across the keyboard,(3) projection system that projects onto the surface from underneath thekeyboard, and (4) touchscreen system.

Reference is made to FIG. 12, which is a simplified of a keyboard 1200using a micro-LED array projection system, similar to keyboard 300 shownin FIG. 4, in accordance with a first embodiment of the presentinvention. Shown in FIG. 12 is a silicone surface 1210, exposed fortouch by a user. Underneath silicone surface 1210 is a capacitive touchlayer 1220, for detecting touch location and touch pressure when a usertouches silicone surface 1210. Underneath capacitive touch layer 1220 isan acrylic layer 1230.

A pattern of keys is projected onto silicone surface 1210 by a micro LEDarray 1240, underneath acrylic layer 1230.

A controller (not shown) receives user input in conformance with theprojected layout of keys, and generates a time series of touch locationand touch pressure data therefrom. The touch location and pressure datamay be used inter alia by a keystroke biometric analyzer, as explainedbelow.

Reference is made to FIG. 13, which is a simplified diagram of akeyboard 1300 using a projection system applied to a bar across thekeyboard, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Shown in FIG. 13 is an acrylic keyboard 1310 with a projection bar 1340.

Reference is made to FIG. 14, which is a simplified diagram of akeyboard 1400 using a projection system that projects onto the surfacefrom underneath the keyboard, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. Shown in FIG. 14 is an acrylic surface 1410. Asupport layer 1420 is underneath acrylic surface 1410. Within supportlayer 1420 is a projector device 1440, which projects a pattern of keysonto acrylic surface 1410.

Reference is made to FIG. 15, which is a simplified diagram of akeyboard 1500 using a touchscreen, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. Keyboard 1500 uses a touch pad 1510.

Two or more of the projection systems of FIGS. 12-15 may be combinedtogether into a multi-projection keyboard.

One of the central features of the ONE KEYBOARD is that it usesbehavioral biometrics to learn the touch patterns of every individual,via a process termed “keystroke dynamics”. This is a security feature tosupplement conventional means of authentication, such as username andpassword, and may also be used as a form of error correction. At thebasic level, the device registers the behavioral data associated witheach time the user touches the keyboard. Over a short period of time,the data gathered creates a “behavioral profile” for the user. Thebehavioral profile is the set of numeric and categorical features thatdescribe the keyboard usage history, including key press and releasetimings, pressure, acoustics, keyboard motion, and the shape of thefinger mapped onto a two-dimensional space. From the behavioral profile,biometric information can be extracted to create a “biometric template”.The biometric template is a reduced set of features that are highlyreproducible and specific for each individual. E.g., the pressure andfinger shape may be used to uniquely identify a particular user withhigh probability. Some of the variations in pressure and finger shapebetween different users can be attributed to (a) physical traits of theuser, such as finger size and strength, (b) the distance from the centerof the keyboard, and (c) the user's typing proficiency. Once created,the template is a valuable part of the system. The biometric templatemay be used to grant and restrict access to a system, identify thekeyboard owner, and generate a unique encryption key that can be used todigitally sign documents.

Reference is made to FIG. 16, which is a simplified diagram of biometricanalyzer 1600, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 16, biometric analyzer 1600 includes fourprimary components; a biometric identifier 1610, a biometricauthenticator 1620, a biometric behavioral analyzer 1630, and abiometric learning machine 1640.

Biometric identifier 1610 generates and stores the user's biometrictemplate, which represents the unique and identifiable behaviorattributes of the user. As the user's behavior changes over time, suchas due to increased typing proficiency, typing impairments, and changesin physiology, the biometric template is updated. This is necessary soas to mitigate the “template aging effect”, a phenomenon encountered inbiometrics in which the user's biometric template becomes less effectiveover time. Biometric learning machine 1640 implements an online learningmechanism to adapt to these changes in the user's behavior and torespond robustly to changes in the environment, such as keyboardpositioning and ambient noises or vibrations.

Biometric authenticator 1620 operates in two modes: static andcontinuous. In static mode, an authentication or identification decisionis made at discrete points in time using all available information up tothat point, such as at the beginning of a session or logging into awebsite. In continuous mode, an authentication or identificationdecision is made continuously as the user interacts with the keyboard;for authentication decisions in this mode, the biometric authenticatorchooses to either allow the session to continue, deeming the user asgenuine, or blocks the user from the session, deeming the user as animpostor. For identification decisions in this mode, the keyboardcontinuously recognizes the identity of the active user, such as in ashared multi-user environment.

“Affective computing” is a field of study that aims to build systemscapable of detecting and responding to the user's affect, or emotionalstate. In a desktop or laptop environment, the ability to detect theuser's affective state can enable a more integrated and productiveenvironment. Biometric behavioral analyzer 1630 recognizes the affectivestate of the user from the recorded behavior profile in order to providea more robust and dependable computing environment. Affective states andpossible responses include inter alia:

Affective State Response stress dynamically adjusting the keyboardinterface to decrease user workload and increase productivityfrustration dynamically optimizing the keyboard interface to reduceerrors; and confusion dynamically adjusting the keyboard interface toprovide assistance and additional relevant information

With the user's behavioral profile, the ONE KEYBOARD improves workflow.Based on patterns gleaned from the user's experience, the ONE KEYBOARDcorrects common mistakes made repeatedly by the user, and suggestsmoving the position or layout of various aspects of the keyboard forimproved comfort. By determining the size of a user's fingers, and thetype and number of errors made by the user, the ONE KEYBOARD suggestschanges in the layout of keys that can improve the user's experience.E.g., a larger set of keys may be more efficient for certain users. On awider scale, a company may utilize aggregated behavioral profile data toidentify patterns among large numbers of employees that might be slowingproductivity. A cloud-based system, when applied to the user profiledata, determines ways to improve workflow in a widely used program, forexample, such as PHOTOSHOP®, developed and marketed by Adobe Systems ofSan Jose, Calif. Software developers may desire the ability to studyaggregated behavioral data in order to improve the development of theirnext generation of applications.

The ONE KEYBOARD is designed to accommodate users who have difficultytyping on a standard keyboard. This includes users who suffer fromParkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or another physicalinjury that makes standard keyboards inaccessible. These ailments mayresult in uncontrollable movement of the hand, restricted motorcapability in the hand or wrist, or inability to strike certain keys dueto loss of appendages. Embodiments of the present invention include amethod that adapts and optimizes the layout of the keyboard based on theuser's physical condition. The sensitivity of the keyboard isautomatically or manually adjusted to avoid spurious input and to adaptto the user's style of typing. Key sizes and positions are adjustedautomatically or manually to reduce the amount of hand motion requiredand the amount of discomfort experienced by the user, as well as toreduce typing errors.

The automatic function is performed by an accessibility module thateither runs on the computing device of the ONE KEYBOARD or is remotelyaccessible through the ONE KEYBOARD driver software. The accessibilitymodule continuously monitors keyboard usage, including typing errors,identification of the appendage (finger, palm, knuckle) used to provideinput, position of the appendage on the keyboard surface, and pressureapplied to the keyboard surface. The accessibility module infers theuser's intent during typing, such as the key the user intended to press,the word the user intended to type, or the shortcut action the userintended to perform within an application. These inferences are madebased on: the application context, for example the likelihood of a copyaction (typically invoked by Ctrl-V on QWERTY keyboard layouts) to occurfollowing the selection of text with the mouse pointer; natural languageconstraints, including word spelling, grammar rules, sentence structure,and word frequency; and the user's typing history, including the user'sstyle of writing and the frequent typing of personal information, suchas name, address, phone number, email address, and commonly typedphrases. The accessibility module provides shortcuts to quickly invokethe user's intent and adjust keyboard layout so as to minimize typingerrors, decrease hand and finger motion, and to avoid uncomfortable orimpossible hand positions. For some users, pressing the keyboard surfacemay itself be a difficult action to perform. For these users, the ONEKEYBOARD supports alternate input methods that eliminate such an action,such as the ability to recognize hand-drawn symbols drawn on thekeyboard surface or the mapping of gestures, such as sliding a closedfist in a leftward direction, to keys or key sequences.

Reference is made to FIG. 17, which is an illustration of a keyboard1700 wherein horizontal spacings between keys mapped to the left handare reduced, for users with limited metacarpophalangeal (digits/palmjoint) or intercarpal (palm/wrist joint) articulation in the left hand,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Keyboard 1700limits travel distance between keys, enabling neighboring keys to bestruck with minimal effort.

Reference is made to FIG. 18, which is an illustration of a keyboard1800 with keys that are selectively enabled and disabled to reducetyping errors and increase typing speed and comfort, for users thatexperience tremors in the hand such as user suffering from Parkinson'sdisease, and for users with limited motor accuracy such as usersrecovering from a stroke, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. In FIG. 18 the accessibility module of the ONEKEYBOARD expects a vowel to be typed next. Only the vowel keys areactive and able to be pressed, whereas input to non-vowel keys isdisabled, depicted by the greyed-out consonants and digits in keyboard1800.

Security is another major component of the ONE KEYBOARD. With the user'sbiometric template, the ONE KEYBOARD quickly detects when someone otherthan an authorized user is trying to access the system. Within a fewlines of typing, the biometric template of the typist discriminatesbetween an authorized user and an intruder. Companies interested innetwork security use this as a means of ensuring that only the correctuser accesses each device. Common examples of this are on-line coursesand test-taking, on-line e-commerce, and social networking companies whowish to prevent on-line bullying by “anonymous” users. Once the ONEKEYBOARD is attached to a computer, the driver can prevent anyone fromdetaching it and attempting to access the computer with a non-biometrickeyboard. Currently, many behavioral biometric programs not only rejectintruders, but they actually identify the intruder by their ownbehavioral biometric template. The time series generated by biometricanalyzer 1600 is unique to each user and may be utilized as a digitalidentity.

The ONE KEYBOARD includes a cryptographic module 2300 (FIG. 1) that mapseach user's time series to a cryptographic key. Cryptographic module2300 generates a unique cryptographic key for each keyboard user. Eachuser key is used by that user to encrypt, securely transmit anddigitally sign documents, and as a form of authentication in otherapplications, such as the secure shell protocol (SSH). Biometricencryption is already well-established for fingerprint and face, butthus far no one has tried to do so for keystroke dynamics. In thisregard, reference is made to

-   -   Colin Soutar, Danny Roberge, Alex Stoianov, Rene Gilroy        and B. V. K. Vijaya Kumar, Biometric Encryption. In: Nickols,        Randall K. (ed.) ICSA Guide to Cryptography, McGraw-Hill (1999).    -   http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/prr/Biometrics/Archive/Papers/BiometricEnc        ryption.pdf    -   Ann Cavoukian and Alex Stoianov A. (2011) Biometric Encryption.        In: van Tilborg H. C. A., Jajodia S. (eds.) Encyclopedia of        Cryptography and Security, Springer (2011), Boston, Mass. ISBN:        78-1-4419-5906-5    -   https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5906-5    -   https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-4906-5        880

Protecting the user's privacy is another major feature of the ONEKEYBOARD. Keystroke dynamics is a technique that can be used tolegitimately identify and authenticate a user by a trusted application,such as when logging into a secure banking website or during an onlinecourse. However, there are numerous scenarios in which a user'skeystroke dynamics are exposed to an untrusted application. This dilemmais often encountered in web applications, whereby a single webpage mayload dozens of third party modules that provide functionality through anexternal application programming interface (API). Given the lack ofspecial permissions required to capture keyboard events in modern webbrowsers, an untrusted web application or third-party module canpassively record the user's key press and release timings and use thisinformation to track the user's identity. This presents a privacyconcern since a malicious application can perform user identificationand verification remotely via keystroke dynamics without the user'scooperation or knowledge. Since this type of attack relies only on theuser's typing behavior, the user's identity may be compromised even whenaccessing the web application through an anonymizing network, such asThe Onion Router (TOR). From this perspective, keystroke dynamicsrepresents a form of “behavioral tracking”, the process by which anadvertiser or other third party is able to track user identity anddemographics based on his online activity.

Obfuscation module 2000 (FIG. 1) of The ONE KEYBOARD mitigates thisthreat by masking the user's keystroke dynamics from any applicationwhich receives keyboard input. Obfuscation module 2000 introduces asmall random delay to each key press, key release, and touch event bytemporarily buffering the event on the device before releasing it to thehost computer. The buffer duration is chosen in such a way so as to meettwo criteria: 1) the user's keystroke dynamics appear obfuscated to anyapplication that receives keyboard input, mitigating the possibility ofan untrusted application from performing user identification orverification; and 2) maximize the responsiveness of the keyboard,introducing a delay that is unnoticeable to the user. The ONE KEYBOARDis the first keyboard designed to protect the user's privacy in realtime with a random delay that adapts to the user's typing speed.

There are numerous legitimate uses of keystroke dynamics employed bytrusted applications and the ONE KEYBOARD may preserve the intendedfunctionality of these applications. Such behavioral biometric servicesare provided by companies including TypingDNA, Behaviosec, KeyTrac. TheONE KEYBOARD is compatible with all of these applications, granted theyare trusted by the user. This functionality is provided through anapplication-specific permissions mechanism, whereby the user may chooseto trust certain applications, granting them access to the user'sun-obfuscated keystroke timings, while allowing other untrustedapplications access only to the obfuscated keystroke timings.

Using the ONE KEYBOARD and its associated methodology, on-line learningsites such as Coursera of Mountain View, Calif., and Khan Academy of NewYork, N.Y., testing companies such as The College Board of New York,N.Y., and ACT of Iowa City, Iowa, and any company seeking toverify/authenticate users who are accessing their systems via a remoteconnection, will increase the security of their systems dramatically.

Reference is made to FIG. 19, which is a simplified flowchart ofbiometric analysis and authentication, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. At operation 1910, biometric identifier 1610generates a behavioral profile and a biometric template of the user. Atoperation 1920 the user attempts to access a system using keyboard 100.At operation 1930 biometric authenticator 1620 identifies the user basedon his biometric template. At operation 1940 biometric authenticator1920 grants or restricts the user's access to the system, based on theuser's biometric template.

At operation 1950 obfuscation module 2000 obfuscates the user's keypress and release timings, to prevent suspicious applications fromrecording the user's key press and release timings and tracking theuser's identity. Obfuscation of key press and release timings may beperformed inter alia by temporarily buffering the key press and releaseevents, thereby introducing buffer duration errors into the timings.

At operation 1960 biometric authenticator 1620 grants trustedapplications access to the user's un-obfuscated key press and releasetimings. At operation 1970 biometric authenticator 1620 makes continuousdecisions as to the identity and authenticity of the user, based on hisbiometric template. At operation 1980 biometric behavioral analyzer 1630responds to the user's affective state by instructing projection system140 to update the layout of keyboard 100. At operation 1990 behaviorallearning machine 1640 adaptively updates the user's biometric templateto compensate for template aging and changes in the environment.

An important component of the ONE KEYBOARD is software device driver1000 for the keyboard, shown in FIG. 10, which contains the necessarycalibration and settings for the keyboard to be customized for eachuser.

Biometric learning machine 1640 uses a biometric learning algorithm.This algorithm collects data from the keyboard and then utilizes thatdata to “learn” from each user's experiences. Typing mistakes tend to berepetitive, such as touching a certain key too lightly, or misspellingsome specific words because of inverting the letters. If a usermisspells a word repeatedly, the algorithm determines if the error isdue to incomplete activation of a key, or due to another error such asinversion of letters. It then maintains a file of these learnedexperiences for each user and compensates for them, so that the userexperiences an error-free interaction. Preferably, the learningalgorithm is separate from the ONE KEYBOARD. At present, there arenumerous commercial entities utilizing biometric data. The ONE KEYBOARDis compatible with all of these applications.

Over time, biometric learning machine 1640 determines which applicationsa user uses most of the time. The universal keyboard suggests optimalkeyboard layouts, based on the applications used most of the time, whichenable a user to decrease his number of keystrokes, and improve hisefficiency and experience.

The ONE KEYBOARD comes with a device driver. In addition, there is asmall program that allows the user to choose from standard keyboardlayouts, or design his own custom layout, using a simple graphicalinterface. There is an error-correcting program that corrects typingerrors, similar to SWIFTKEY®, developed and manufactured by TouchTypeLimited of London, UK. There is an optional cloud based service thatincludes better “learning” from the user's experiences, and securitysystems that ensure that each user matches their biometric securityprofile.

The ONE KEYBOARD is the most innovative change to human-computerinteraction (HCI, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human%E2%80%93computerinteraction) with desktop and laptop computers in the past decade, andis the last keyboard anyone will ever need to buy.

One having the benefit of the subject disclosure will appreciate thatthere are many variations of the keyboard of the subject invention. Thepresent invention may be embodied in applications for cellular phones,including inter alia the IPHONE® and IPAD® manufactured by AppleCorporation of Cupertino, Calif., and the ANDROID™ phones manufacturedby Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd of Korea, using built-in technology ofthe phones to collect biometric data.

Furthermore, add-on components to the ONE KEYBOARD device driver makeuse of the behavioral data collected during operation. These componentsinter alia detect fatigue and stress, detect mental states and/or moods,and diagnose physical ailments such as arthritis and Parkinson'sdisease. As such, the ONE KEYBOARD may be used by qualified medicalprofessionals. Alternatively, or additionally, such information may beused to determine when a person may be more likely persuaded by aparticular type of advertisement.

In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described withreference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to thespecific exemplary embodiments without departing from the broader spiritand scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A keyboard for a physically handicapped person,comprising: a blank translucent surface for use as an input device; acapacitive layer mounted underneath said blank translucent surface,enabling detection of touch location and pressure on said blanktranslucent surface; a projection system dynamically projecting aplurality of visual layouts of keys of a keyboard on said blanktranslucent surface, wherein each visual layout comprises ASCIIcharacter keys or graphical buttons; and an accessibility module,coupled with said capacitive layer, with said projection system, andwith a computing device, configured (i) to receive user input inconformance with a currently projected layout of keys from a physicallyhandicapped user, and to generate therefrom a time series of ASCIIcharacters or button selections for input to the computing device, and(ii) to dynamically adapt to the user's style of typing, comprisingdynamically adjusting pressure sensitivity of the keyboard to avoidspurious user input, and dynamically adjusting key sizes and positionsin a current virtual layout of keys, to reduce the amount of hand motionrequired by the user and the amount of discomfort experienced by theuser.
 2. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein said accessibility modulemonitors keyboard typing errors.
 3. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein saidaccessibility module identifies an appendage of a user used to provideinput, the appendage comprising a finger, a palm or a knuckle.
 4. Thekeyboard of claim 3 wherein said accessibility module identifiesposition of the user's appendage on said blank translucent surface. 5.The keyboard of claim 3 wherein said accessibility module identifiespressure applied by the user's appendage to said blank translucentsurface.
 6. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein said accessibility moduleinfers a user's intent during typing, comprising a key the user intendedto press, a word the user intended to type, or a shortcut action theuser intended to perform within an application.
 7. The keyboard of claim6 wherein said accessibility module infers a user's intent by anapplication context, natural language constraints, and the user's typinghistory.
 8. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein said accessibility moduleprovides shortcuts to quickly invoke a user's intent and adjusts thevisually projected keyboard layout so as to minimize typing errors, todecrease hand and finger motion, and to avoid uncomfortable orimpossible hand positions.
 9. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein saidaccessibility module recognizes symbols hand-drawn by a user on saidblank translucent surface.
 10. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein saidaccessibility module maps gestures performed on said blank translucentsurface to key sequences.
 11. The keyboard of claim 1 wherein a gesturecomprises sliding a closed fist in a rightward or leftward direction.12. A secure keyboard, comprising: a blank translucent surface for useas an input device; a capacitive layer mounted underneath said blanktranslucent surface, enabling detection of touch location and pressureon said blank translucent surface; a projection system projecting avisual layout of keys of a keyboard on said blank translucent surface,the visual layout comprising ASCII character keys and/or graphicalbuttons; a handprint generator coupled with said capacitive layer that,upon a user placing his hand on said blank translucent surface,generates a user template describing the user's hand, the user templatecomprising a list of keyboard surface coordinates and correspondingpressures, and stores the user template; and a handprint analyzer,coupled with said capacitive layer, with said handprint generator, andwith a computing device, that authenticates an unknown user who assertsand identify by matching the unknown user's template, currentlygenerated by said handprint generator, to the stored user template forthe identity asserted by the unknown user, wherein: if no match isfound, indicates that the unknown user is not authorized to use thekeyboard or not previously enrolled for the keyboard; and if a match isfound, receives user input from the unknown user in conformance with theprojected layout of keys, and generates therefrom a time series of ASCIIcharacters or button selections for input to the computing device. 13.The secure keyboard of claim 12 wherein the user template generated bysaid handprint generator further comprises a time series comprisingtimes of interaction of the user's hand with said blank translucentsurface, locations of the interaction at each time of interaction, andthe amount of pressure applied to said blank translucent surface at eachlocation and time of interaction.
 14. The secure keyboard of claim 13wherein the user template generated by said handprint generatorcomprises physiological measurements extracted from the time series. 15.The secure keyboard of claim 14 wherein the physiological measurementscomprise one or more of (i) finger lengths, (ii) palm surface area, and(iii) hand arches.
 16. The secure keyboard of claim 13 wherein the usertemplate generated by said handprint generator comprises behavioralmeasurements extracted from the time series.
 17. The keyboard of claim16 wherein the behavioral measurements comprise one or more of (i) apressure heatmap formed by the user's hand on said blank translucentsurface, (ii) the first and last parts of the user's hand to makecontact with said blank translucent surface, and (iii) vibrationsexperienced by the keyboard while the user's hand is held on said blanktranslucent surface.
 18. The secure keyboard of claim 12 wherein saidkeyboard further comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensorsensing an acceleration experienced by the keyboard, and wherein theuser template generated by said handprint generator further comprisesthe acceleration experienced by the keyboard at each time ofinteraction.
 19. The secure keyboard of claim 12 wherein said handprintanalyzer authenticates the unknown user in response to receiving anauthentication request from an application that runs on the computingdevice, which the unknown user is attempting to use.
 20. A keyboard,comprising: a blank translucent surface for use as an input device; acapacitive layer mounted underneath said blank translucent surface,enabling detection of touch location and pressure on said blanktranslucent surface; a projection system projecting a visual layout ofkeys of a keyboard on said blank translucent surface, the visual layoutcomprising ASCII character keys and/or graphical buttons; a handprintgenerator coupled with said capacitive layer, that, upon a user placinghis hand on said blank translucent surface, generates a user templatedescribing the user's hand, the template comprising a list of keyboardsurface coordinates and corresponding pressures, and stores the usertemplate; and a handprint analyzer, coupled with said capacitive layerand with said handprint generator, that identifies an unknown user bycomparing the unknown user's template, currently generated by saidhandprint generator, to a plurality of stored user templates, wherein ifa match is not found then the unknown user is not identified.